“Shall we try that new place, The Food Bar, on Race Course?” asks my friend as we debate where to go for lunch. And so we land up at a lovely old-world house tucked away behind Fabindia and gingerly climb up the iron steps. In one corner of the first room, a white painted tree climbs up the wall and spreads itself over the ceiling. An entire wall is covered with a drawing and recipe for hot apple cider in coloured chalk. “We change that every week,” smiles Sowdha, one of the four partners who started The Food Bar six months ago.
- If you don’t want to eat out, The Food Bar has an interesting alternative. “We have a DIY kit for each item on our menu,” explains Sowdha. “Tell us which dish you want and we will send you the ingredients and the recipe sheet so you can put it together yourself.” The veggies or meats will be cut and the sauces prepared; all packed in aluminium foil covers — “no plastic anywhere here,” says Sowdha sternly — and delivered.
We take our seats in the inner room — we consider the seating in the balcony but “there’s a gap in the wall, so that area doesn’t have air conditioning,” explains Sowdha, as she offers us the menu. The Food Bar offers Indian, Continental and Chinese and we mull over our choices before deciding to share a soup, starter, salad, main course and dessert. “That way, we won’t waste anything,” my friend observes sagely. Except for the salad and dessert, we stick to Chinese — even though Sowdha suggests a cottage cheese steak; “our steaks are bestsellers,” she says proudly —and don’t regret our choice.
Fried mushrooms served in a delicious sauce
The Vegetable Manchow Soup is delicately flavoured with the ginger and garlic alternating to create a perfect beginning for a rainy day. The mayonnaise dressing on the Peach Pear Almond and Apricot Quenelles House Salad is light and blends well with the fruit. The Thai Mushroom with cashewnuts offers crunchy and crisp veggies along with the fried mushroom doused in a piquant and delicious sauce.
- The Food Bar is at 58 A, Race Course Road (behind Fabindia)
- Open from 11.00 am to 11.00 pm
- A full meal for two will cost around ₹1000; a bit more for non-vegetarians
- They take orders for parties and private parties and also offer their space for workshops
- Contact 7667000666 for reservations
The service is quick and efficient; someone is keeping an eye on the table to ensure that a new dish arrives as the earlier one is emptied. I inhale the steam of the Thai Green Curry in appreciation as I am served some fragrant rice. Too often, this dish tastes of either green chillies or lemongrass and I am relieved to find that here neither dominates. The vegetables — a mix of zuchini, mushroom, broccoli — are cooked just enough to soak in the flavours.
Waffle with strawberry and cream
For dessert, we’ve chosen waffle with strawberries and fresh cream. It arrives cut into four neat wedges and accompanied by a dish of honey. We drizzle the honey impartially over the waffle, the strawberry and cream before we taste it. The texture is a bit like the neiappam — crisp on the outside and chewy inside — and it is only mildly sweet. The cream is fresh and, for a wonder, the strawberry not too sour. The portions were comfortable for two people and the bill was a modest ₹987. Non-vegetarian options will cost a tad more.
For the moment, The Food Bar is planning a host of surprises for Father’s Day on Sunday. The one thing that Sowdha confirms is that anyone who brings his/her father for a meal will get a 10% discount on their bill.